New CTMH Products are here!

Remember, Stampin' Up purchased these NEW items from Close To My Heart and is offering them to previous CTMH Makers and Customers.  The new products for June can be seen in this digital brochure. They will be available for purchase (along with other new things and specials) on Wednesday, June 5.

The new collection is called Lake Life.  Just like before, the collection includes:  

• a Paper Pack 166336
• the Paper Pack with Sticker Sheet 166335
• Coordinating two-tone Cardstock Pack 166337
• an embellishment:  Lake Life Die-Cuts 166338
• a cardmaking stamp set & thin cuts 166342
• a scrapbooking stamp set & thin cuts 166341
• a scrapbooking workshop kit with instructions (no memory protectors) 166340
• a cardmaking workshop kit (w/ SS & TC) 166343

If you don't have and/or need, the coordinating EI stamp pads and 24 sheet cardstock packs are available while supplies last:

• Acorn
• Pine
• Sage
• Seabrook
• Glacier

There is also a beautiful new Mix In Paper Pack (166344) and coordinating cardstock (166345)!

And finally, if you need MORE, there is Hug in a Mug stamp & thin cuts (166354) which pairs nicely with A Little Positivity stamp (166355).

Click on the SHOP tab above to go directly to my online store.

Stunning Stencils - CTMH Technique Blog Hop

 Whether you arrived from CatScrapbooking or just stumbled upon us, WELCOME to TheScrapBuzz blog and this month's Technique Hop. We are using stencils for February; there are several new ones in the Core Catalog.  Follow the links to hop from blog to blog for techniques, tips, and artwork!

 

If you get lost, find broken links or have other issues, you can find a list of all this month's participants on Melissa's page. We have over a dozen CTMH Makers participating this time!  Be sure you are commenting so they know you appreciate their efforts and continue to share their projects!

I spend several days of quality time with one of three new Card Front Stencils, Pack #3.

Did you see this post on the Make It From Your Heart blog? I was having trouble with the diagonal stencil until I watched this video from that post. One thing I'll suggest is when you are sponging with our Exclusive Inks, is to use the corners of the stamp pad.  We usually ink stamps in the middle of the pad. Whenever I use small stamps, or sponges, I try to use the corners. As you'll see in Karen's video, press the sponge into the pad to absorb in, then pounce the sponge when the stencil wants to "wiggle."

I made my own background paper with the diagonal lines then featured it with Pattern #18, from Volume #4 of Make It From Your Heart.

In between the lines, I stamped the little bee from the Sweet As Honey - Cardmaking stamp set.  

If, after completing this hop, you can decide which stencils to add to your crafting arsenal, ask your maker about bundles and how you can get them half-price. If you don't have a Maker, I would be happy to assist you!

After you leave a comment, hop over to see what Wendy has created this time. Thank you for stopping by!

Products Used:

Card Front Stencils #3

Cardstock:  Black, Shortbread, Sundance, Mink

Stitched Rectangles Thin Cuts

Die-cutting & Embossing Machine

Exclusive Inks: Black, Sundance

Round Sponge

Sweet as Honey paper pack

Mix In paper pack

Stamp Set:  Sweet as Honey - Cardmaking

Thin 3-D Foam Tape

Cork Shapes

Anything Goes - CTMH Technique Blog Hop

 

Welcome to The Scrap Buzz! For this month’s Technique Blog Hop…Anything Goes! If you’ve arrived from visiting Lauren Moore, you’re on the right track! If you get lost or find any broken links, a full list of participants is on Melissa Robinson blog.

I was having trouble coming up with a card, or smaller project, so I decided to make a Scrapbooking layout using Wander Paper Pack and Sticker Sheet. Our youngest son and his fiancé are off on another hiking/back packing adventure this weekend so there are always outdoor pictures to scrap.

The layout is Design #11 from our newest How To book, Make It From Your Heart, Volume 5. Similar to Volumes 1 and 2, this book contains designs for both layouts AND cards. The construction on Volume 5 is identical to that of Volume 3 and 4: heavy-weight, coated pages with holes so you can place it in one of our 6x8 Everyday Life albums. (Note: Volume 2 is almost sold out. I don’t know if it will be re-printed or re-published.)

The Sundance pieces at the bottom are zip strips. I used up some of my remaining stickers and also had some left-over Wander Die-Cuts to use. Did You Know…these are printed, perforated chip board pieces and the designers really did a great job filling in all the spaces with frame and shapes.

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Some of my embellishments are images that I stamped with the Take A Hike stamp set. It is also available with Thin Cuts. This is a fun outdoor themed set that I’m sure I’ll be using over and over with several paper suites! I used multiple techniques on these pieces. The paprika backpack is my attempt at copying the haphazard way the pattern paper is colored. I used a water brush and ink from the lid of my Paprika stamp pad to make a colored, oval blob on White Daisy Cardstock. Then, I stamped the backpack image on top using Black EI ink.

The blue back pack and water bottle were stamped with Sapphire EI Ink on Glacier cardstock. The green water bottle was stamped in Sage using the BACK of the stamp. This makes a solid image. Then I stamped it normally using Evergreen EI ink. This is a great way to “color” outline stamps that are left and right symmetrical, or very close. Flower stamps are fun even if they aren’t perfectly matched because you get that haphazard coloring look that this paper suite features.

I also brought in the current Mix In papers. These are truly one of my favorite products because of their versatility. Not only do they stand alone, but also coordinate with the two paper suites in the bi-monthly catalog they share. Don’t over look these from other catalogs if they are still available! And, if you see them on a flash sale, snap them up!! There are six double sided sheets per pack (12 patterns), which is a nice sample size, or grab two acts so you have two matching sheets for layouts, or one full sheet to use of each pattern.

For my title, I used a 4x6 Wander PML Card but it was too tall for the layout design…I could have adapted the page, but I adapted the card instead. I cut a piece of Peacock Cardstock the size specified in the design. Then, I trimmed the card a bit so the cardstock would show as a thin border. I love the two lines of stitching and didn’t want to just trim the PML shorter. By cutting the card where the colors change, I could layer the two pieces to make it look like one card. The white space is a good place to add the date and location for the adventure pictures that will be added.

I also did some paper piecing, by stamping the same image in several colors, then fussy cutting the images and reassembling some of the shape together for one embellishment.

Thanks for stopping by; please leave a comment below. Next, hop over to see what Katy Taylor is sharing this month.

July-August Catalog

 Woot! Woot! It's time for a new catalog!! Our seasonal catalogs are released every two months. Stamps sets may continue (look in the online only section of my website), but paper collections, embellishments and Thin Cuts (dies) are not intended to be in stock after the two-month period ends. Everything is while supplies last. If you want it, order it!

The paper suites in the July-August catalog are:

Wander

Isabella

and the Mix-In pack

Plus a selection of new stamp sets:

A new card-size Thin Cut - Butterfly Background:

Plus, the July and August stamp of the month sets!

Comment below with your favorite new item!

Heat It Up! Technique Blog Hop

Welcome to our April blog hop! You may have arrived from visiting Miss Carrie. To continue the Hop, just follow the links from blog to blog until you get back to where you started. If you get lost, you can find a list of participants on Melissa's page. 

Spring has sprung and around here, we haven't even had the April showers yet, so as the weather warms, let's Heat It Up! with some heat embossing!

 I made this card with the new "Let's Stay Home" stamp set Close To My Heart has created for documenting the Covid-19 pandemic. Many of us are embracing the idea to "Stay Home and Create!" I've been sending extra cards to keep in touch with family and friends and I have an online crop starting April 15 (contact me for more info).

I also used the current Mix In paper pack and both the stamp set and paper from our "These Are My People" special. The patterns is #6 from Volume 4 in our How To series Make It From Your Heart.

Have you noticed that brads are back in our product line?? You'll need them for making spinner cards and some adorable new things coming in May. Right now, silver is the only option, but what if you want to use them in another color for artwork? Did you know...you can color brads with heat embossing?! Let Me Show You How...

One of the amazing things about embossing brads, is that you may not need ANY ink!  The most challenging part may be finding something to hold the brad so that you don't burn your fingers. I used reverse tweezers and this is the perfect application for them.  

A wooden clothes pin is another option. Does anyone beside me still use clothes pins??

STEP 1.  Hold the brad while your heat it with your Heat Tool. 

STEP 2. Dip the hot brad into the embossing powder. (Just barely. You really only want the head of the brad. The prongs don't need powder, and your tweezers don't either.) Since heat melts the powder, the heat from the brad will cause the powder to start to melt onto the brad.

STEP 3. Heat the brad a little more to get a nice finish and completely melt the powder. 

I made samples with two different powders then I played with some other options. If you want to match a color, use pigment ink and clear powder. I also tested StazOn and sealed those with clear. They are still metallic, almost a bronze/copper and pewter vs. brown and black. You can color the brads (and a lot of other things!) with the Tri-Blend Markers. You can emboss these with clear too, but I don't think it's necessary.

I used white brads for the center of my flowers. You can use the Piercing Tool and the soft side of a Versamat to poke a hole in your paper for the brad. 

Please leave a comment, or any questions, below then hop over and see what Scrappin Katy has to share!

Here's the list of products I used if you need a consultant for shopping:
These Are My People paper pack
Love These People stamp set - retired
Mix In paper pack (March/April) - retired
Mink Twine
Let's Stay Home stamp set - retired    
Sapphire Shimmer Brush
Silver Brads
Bluebird Ink
White Daisy Cardstock
Carnary Cardstock
Microtip Scissors
Tombow Adhesive
Micro Glue Dots
Thin 3-D Foam Dots
Card Bases & Envelopes

Mix It Up!

Do you love our Mix In paper packs?! These collections are designed to MIX IN and coordinate with every other paper collection in the current Idea Book, or use on their own! Right now, the Mix-In colors are Ballerina pink plus neutral black, white, and grays. One of the things about our B&T (background and texture) Duos that I like is, if one side doesn't suit your taste, turn it over!

If you've arrived from Daryls' page, you're right on track. If you're starting here, follow the link at the bottom to "hop" the next blogger's page. Proceed until you complete the circle and arrive back on my page again.

As life often is, mine is busy and somewhat extra complicated right now, so I'm "cheating" by showing you a piece of artwork I CASEd (Copy And Steal Everything) from the Seasonal Expressions 2 Idea Book. But that's OK, that is the purpose of an IDEA book. But, did you know, the recipes for all the beautiful pieces are available to you?

On your consultant's website site, go to "More" and select "View Catalog." Then scroll down to the pdf link for Recipes. All the ingredients are listed including colors, stamp(s) and tools used. If Cricut shapes were used, the recipe will list the collection name, size, shapes name and DS code.

 Here's the recipe for this card:

PAGE 82
4¼" x 5½" Happy Birthday Card (Horizontal)

A1228 My Acrylix® Special Day Duo Stamps
X9005 Mix-in Paper Packet
X6028 Black Cardstock
X5988 Peach Cardstock
X6018 Raspberry Cardstock
X6022 Smoothie Cardstock
Z891 VersaMark™ Ink Pad
Z4057 Craft On Rubber Shapes
Z4213 Silver Embellishing Thread
Z2068 Ranger™ White Super Fine Emb Powder
Z4220 Anti-static Pouch
Z4252 Heat Tool
1772 Glue Dots® Ultra-thin Dots

Guess what? The ONLY piece of Mix-Ins I have used to date is the one featured in the catalog. Could I just substitute that one piece? Me?? No! Any normal person? Yes!!

So if I was going to substitute for the B&T I might as well substitute the cardstock too. The colors used in the sample seemed a rather odd combination. By looking at the CTMH Color Wheel, I was able to determine the "formula:" one color from one section, skip a section, two colors from the following section. I'm sure there is a fancy name for this arrangement, comment below if you know it!!

My colors are:

Emerald from the green section
(skip the Blue-Green section)
Carolina and Bluebird from the Blue Section

Oh look, I picked blue and green!! Totally unplanned but probably done unconsciously; they're my favorite color combo!!

I had to decide which color was going to go where. That's hard!! When I was cutting the B&T from Mix-Ins, I made it a 4" x 5.5" rectangle. I know that I can get three piece across a 12" piece, and as long as I was making one card, I might as well make three. Then I cut each of the other three shapes from each of the other three colors and mixed them. This pattern is similar to, or a variation of , #16 from Make It From The Heart, Volume 4 (MIFTHV4#16).

Instead of the Craft On Rubber Shapes, I used Black & White dots. (On one card I used some retired Emerald dots from the Cats & Bats collection.

Have you ever heat embossed? Has it been forever?? We all love this technique so I'm not sure why we don't use it more often. If it really has been a while, check out what Close To My Heart offers now including a new heat tool, tinsel embossing power, and an anti-static pouch.

The pouch is great for keeping stray embossing power off your paper so that it only sticks to the ink. I also use it on the back of stickers when using them as die cuts. The powder inside the bag sticks to the sticker adhesive so it's not sticky. It's much faster, simpler and easier than using baby powder. The pouch also tames your lose sequins. Just throw it in the bag when they're new and give it a little shake. Remove the pouch and your sequins will stop doing their Mexican Jumping Beam imitation.

Another item I think is a must have for heat embossing is the All-Purpose Mat. The large size protects your craft space. It is also double sided. The smooth, shinny side is a non-stick surface. Keep your adhesive off the back of your project! You can also use it as a palette for watercolor projects and mixing ink colors. The other side is slightly tacky, which keeps it from sliding on your work surface. If you turn this tacky side up, it keeps embossing powder for dusting everything in the craft room. You can wipe or wash it off as needed. It is also heat resistant to  240° Fahrenheit.

Making all three sentiment squares the same would have been too easy. I used three combinations so you could see the difference. The photo on the left lists the ink underneath the piece and the embossing powder color above it.

At the far right is the combination from the recipe: Ranger™ White Super Fine Embossing Powder and VersaMark™ Ink Pad. In the center is the same powder over white pigment ink. And, the far left is white pigment ink with clear embossing powder.

What is your favorite color arrangement? Which embossing combination would you use? Answer in the comment section before  hopping over and see what Melissa has to share. (She also has a list of all the participants this month.)

These are the other products used, instead of or in addition to the recipe listed above:

X5990 Carolina Cardstock
X5987 Bluebird Cardstock
X6001 Emerald Cardstock
Z2045 All Purpose Mat
Z2863 White Pigment Ink
Z2088 Clear embossing powder
9044  Make It from Your Heart Volume 4
Z3314 Black & White Dots