Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the Shupe family!

It's Christmas Eve!

It's Christmas Eve and time for my final cards for the countdown.

I used the Sea Glass and Oh Deer! paper in a previous card. I love these colors so of course I made more than one card using them.

For both cards, I gold embossed the stamped images. For this one I used the joy stamp, and the All is Bright stamp set and some gold shimmer trim. I also thin cut the snowflake from the sea glass glitter paper. (That snowflake thin cut sold out but our Cricut cartridges have some great snowflakes too!)

This card uses the All is Bright stamp set and all the same elements as the card above. I love this one because it reflects the reason for the season. 

So Merry Christmas everyone! May you have a wonderful one!

Christmas card countdown--2 days to go!

We're so close!

You get another two-fer today because I got started a little late with my Christmas countdown. More City Sidewalks paper on these two!

The Ho Ho Ho stamp set is retired but I still love it. I colored it with our fabulous markers and accented with red enamel gems. 

This second card is just a 4 x 4. Perfect to go with a gift. Or to put a gift card in. 

Merry Christmas. I can hardly wait!

Christmas countdown--three days to go!

Three more days until Christmas!

You get two cards today. For both, I used the City Sidewalks paper (which is only available until the end of the month or supplies sell out--whichever comes first) and the Merry and Bright stamp. For this first one, I also added some washi tape.

Fast and simple! And that Merry and Bright stamp is only $2.95. I got my money's worth out of that one this year.

For this second card, I embossed the paper with the Snowflake embossing folder. I sponged lightly over the snowflakes with Crystal Blue ink.

Keeping it simple! Merry Christmas!

Christmas card countdown--a Winter Solstice card!

I thought I would countdown to Christmas with some of the cards that I made this year. I always make more than one design for two reasons. I want to show off the great papers and stamps that Close to My Heart makes each year, AND it's fun!

Since today is the Winter Solstice, I thought this card was appropriate. 

I paper embossed Sea glass cardstock with the Snowflake embossing folder,  gold embossed the word joy on the Oh Deer! paper, and used the snowflake and winter thin cuts with sea glass glitter paper, and a little gold shimmer trim to finish it off.

Happy Winter Solstice and Merry Christmas!

Playing with watercolors on my Christmas cards

Christmas is just days away! Days, people! I mailed some of my Christmas cards today and the rest will go out tomorrow.

So let me share some of my Christmas creativity with you.

I am not a watercolor pro. I dabble. So this technique is a great technique for experts and dabblers alike. You'll need watercolors, brushes, stamps, and some plastic wrap.

Scrunch up the plastic wrap and then dab some water color onto the plastic wrap. I used two different blues. Don't smear the paint around--you don't want the colors to blend. Literally dab it on the plastic wrap with your brush.

Now place your paper face down on the plastic wrap. Gently press down (again don't move it around because you don't want to smear the paint).

When you lift it off, you should have something like this. If you have too much white, dab some more paint on the plastic wrap and press the paper on again.

Once the paint is dry, stamp with your stamps. In this case, I used the Snow Shadows stamp set, the Swirling Stars stamp, and Pacifica ink.

I love the way the final result turned out. Super simple with a nice winter vibe. Merry Christmas!

A crazy kitty cat!

It's my birthday month! And it's almost over! And that means the August Stamp of the Month is almost over too! Before it is, I wanted to share this silly cat card using the August Stamp of the Month with you. It makes me smile.

Here is the Stamp of the Month set in its entirety. But you have to order by tomorrow or it is gone!

One last shot of that crazy cat. I thought the googly eyes were appropriate. 

Happy Crafting!

Calypso for Summer!

My daughter just reminded me that school starts in two weeks. Two weeks folks! Since the Olympics is in full swing and I have a tendency to get swept up in the games, that two weeks will go even faster than expected.

Along with the passing of August will be the end of the most recent Seasonal Expressions. If you missed out on some of your favorites from the last Annual Inspirations catalog as it retired, don't miss out on some of your favorites from this seasonal catalog. And that includes Calypso.

This paper packet embodies summer! It makes me wish I were sitting on a beach somewhere. I need a last minute summer vacation just so I can get the perfect photos for these pages.

These is one of the three layouts featured at my Cherish Your Memories August workshops. Interested? Order the workshop your way from me and I'll provide you the cutting guide.

Happy Summer!

New Catalog! New Papers! New Stamps!

It's that time of year again. A brand new Annual Inspirations is now available. As of August 1, you can order from this lovely new catalog with all of its new toys.

As a consultant, I get an early product preview so I had some time to play with some new stuff before August 1st. If you love color and pattern then you are going to love the new Fundamental paper packets and coordinating complements.

I played first with the Adventure Fundamentals packet.You can check out all of the Fundamental packets at my website, blythe.ctmh.com. Look at these great patterns. There are new colors introduced in this catalog as well.

Here's a close up. I love these gold accents in the Good Life complements.

Here is the second page of my layout. The pictures don't do justice to the colors.

And more of those gold accents.

 

I can't wait to play with more of the great new product in this new catalog! I hope it inspires you as well.

Magical Pocket Scrapbooking

I'm a decorative scrapbooker. I like cutting paper and embellishing the heck out of a page. But I do see the merits of pocket scrapbooking too and I am becoming a big fan.

I love that the Workshop Your Way kits include 4x6 and 3x4 cards, perfect for pocket scrapbooking. So when you've created your layouts and still have more photos left over, you can pull together a fast, simple, and easy pocket page or two.

You can even embellish the cards up a bit if you wish. 

I LOVE Disney. Can I go back this weekend?

 Happy Crafting!

Magical Layouts

 

This month's Cherish Your Memories workshop is Magical. Oh, how I love this paper! I have lots of Disney photos so these were easy for me. But I did try to make generic enough layouts that they could be used with any theme park, state fair, or other occasion too.  This first layout was inspired by Janel Brinkerhoff.

 

Here's the second layout. This one was all mine. No stamping involved on this one--just using the complements.  (Sorry for the glare on the photos--still trying to figure out how to get good photos in my light box without that glare. Any suggestions?)

And this is layout three, inspired by Amber Filingim. I love having creative friends. We all keep each other inspired. 

The great advantage of the new Workshops Your Way is that you can get so many layouts out of one packet. I love it! You can always buy the paper and complements and sequins separately if you prefer.

This kit retires at the end of August so get yours now! If you don't live locally to join my Cherish groups, buy from my website and I'm happy to send you the cutting guide. 

Happy Crafting!

Close to My Heart Convention and Becoming a Consultant

Every summer, I join hundreds of other Close to My Heart Consultants at the annual convention. It is one of the highlights of my year. This summer was no exception. We met at Disney Coronado Springs Resort at Walt Disney World.

Of course, my wonderful Artistic U partners and I went out early to play. If you've attended any of our Artistic U workshops, you know we like to have fun.

Fun times at Universal Studios (we only went for the Harry Potter attractions but they are the best!).

Oh, I guess we went for the butter beer as well. So fun to have Jen's mom join us.

And we of course visited the Magic Kingdom. Is it legal to go to Orlando and not go to the Magic Kingdom?

But the main purpose was convention. It was four days full of creativity, fun, and friendship. And this was my 22nd convention!

Why on earth would I stick around for 22 conventions? Because the friendships I have made, both with other consultants and my customers, and the creativity that I have enjoyed are well worth it.

Next year's convention will be much closer to home, Salt Lake City, Utah. I'd love to have you join me. Close to My Heart is offering a fantastic sign up special in July. You get extra free product from the new catalog coming out in August. You'll have new stuff before any customers can order.

Any questions? I'd love to answer them. And I'd love to have you on my team! For more info or to sign up, click here.

Happy Crafting!

Happy 4th of July!

 

Happy 4th of July! We are off to a parade and there is a barbecue in the works later. And I'm sure there will be fireworks somewhere.

 

But first a little creativity. The quatrefoil and dot embossing folders are retiring at the end of this month. Don't miss out!

And truly, let freedom ring! Today, I will be grateful for the freedoms I enjoy in this country of ours. We may not always agree but when it comes right down to it, that's one of the freedoms I am grateful for. Happy 4th!

Retiring Product

Where have I been? Busy--always busy. I just returned from the annual Close to My Heart convention in Orlando, FL. I'll fill you in on that soon.

But no excuses. There is product retiring and retiring soon! July 31st! That of course means there is fun new stuff coming but make sure you get your favorites while you can. Rather than pasting the lists here, I've linked to a google drive where you may look at the lists or download and print them to examine at your leisure. If you can't access the link, or just want to simplify, go to blythe.ctmh.com/Shop/Going Soon!. Once the product sells out though, it is gone so don't wait too long. You can order at blythe.ctmh.com anytime, day or night.

I'm going to go create something now so I have something fun to post for all of you. Have a happy day!

National Scrapbook Day!

It's National Scrapbook Day! I would love to say I scrapbooked today but I really didn't. But I did take a minute to look through some of my favorite memories. And that is what scrapbooking is about -- preserving those precious memories to enjoy another day. 

Close to My Heart is celebrating National Scrapbook MONTH and you benefit. The Happy Times paper kit and stamp set are available only during May ( while supplies last). 

Pick up this fabulous paper packet with beautiful gold accents for $14.95 and the coordinating stamp set for $17.95. OR earn a free paper packet for every $60 in product purchased. Stay tuned because I am going to be playing with this happy paper and can't wait to share with all of you!